Import VAT on replacement goods

jacoman891

I backed a kickstarter campaign for USD30. I recieved the package without issue. The reward was faulty. They sent a new one without me returning the old one. I'm now apparently supposed to pay GBP5.11 import VAT and an £8 handling change. Questions:

1. Do I have to pay?
2. What happens if I get it returned to sender and then have it sent out again (for maybe USD10 postage)? Any chance they'll pick up on it a second time?

Thanks a lot for any help you can give.

visidigi

jacoman891 wrote: »

I backed a kickstarter campaign for USD30. I recieved the package without issue. The reward was faulty. They sent a new one without me returning the old one. I'm now apparently supposed to pay GBP5.11 import VAT and an £8 handling change. Questions:

1. Do I have to pay?
2. What happens if I get it returned to sender and then have it sent out again (for maybe USD10 postage)? Any chance they'll pick up on it a second time?

Thanks a lot for any help you can give.

1. yes, unless you have proof of return of the defective goods through which you could claim relief (which you don't).
2. That's fraud.

jacoman891

It's not really the import VAT, I'm bothered about, it's the £8 Royal Mail fee. If there was a way to declare all my imports as an individual and pay import VAT on them I'd be happy to. Thanks for the help.

wealdroam

jacoman891 wrote: »

It's not really the import VAT, I'm bothered about, it's the £8 Royal Mail fee. If there was a way to declare all my imports as an individual and pay import VAT on them I'd be happy to. Thanks for the help.

Oh there is a way to do that.

Just arrange for the sender to mark the package "customs clearance to be done by the importer".

Bit late for this time though.

marliepanda

You don't mention a charge on the first item, so I assume they missed that one.

Therefore the second charge is something you have to just accept. If you had received a charge on both then you could have asked the sender to pay one as you shouldn't have had to receive two deliveries and out of goodwill they might have paid one.

visidigi

jacoman891 wrote: »

It's not really the import VAT, I'm bothered about, it's the £8 Royal Mail fee. If there was a way to declare all my imports as an individual and pay import VAT on them I'd be happy to. Thanks for the help.

Someone still has to pay for customs, even if you clear it yourself you think that won't cost you time/money?

Self clearance is far from 'free'.

paddyrg

visidigi wrote: »

Self clearance is far from 'free'.

Self clearance means not paying Royal Mail £8, it just shifts the costs. Someone who lives next to Heathrow/wherever the goods fly into might be able to get in and out in time before they start getting charged warehouse fees (usually 7 days free, then ££/day) from the clearing agent. There may still be agent fees to pay.

£8 is a total bargain tbh, a friend went though this, and it cost film over £100 by the time he'd got there, parked, sorted correct paperwork, card fees, bonded warehouse fees, etc. Without the week in the warehouse it would have only been £40- odd though, mind this was nearly 2 decades ago, prices have probably risen.